TASK 2 - Online courses - Positive or negative development?

Some universities offer online courses as an alternative to classes delivered on campus. Do you think this is a positive or negative development?

It is true that online education has been booming over recent years. In fact, many traditional universities tend to introduce online courses as a new method to attract more students besides classes at campus. While I agree that this trend has some negative sides, discussing how advantageous it could be is worthy in many cases.

On the one hand, there are several reasons why the development of e-learning is adverse. Firstly, studies have shown that online learners might suffer from such health concerns as poor vision or eye strain as they are required to use computers to study for long hours. Apart from health-related detrimental effects, another problem that participants in online courses facing is the limitation of social interaction. As an explanation for this, virtual learning is often considered as a solo act. Without school peers and face-to-face conversation, online students, therefore, might find it difficult to develop personal relationship, not to mention that they would face a sense of isolation.

However, I would argue that learning online is profitable to some extent. To begin with, it is believed that e-learning provides an appealing method of learning in which students could  flexibly and conveniently manage their own time and pace of learning. This way could perhaps assist them to enhance their discipline and time management skills. Furthermore, in terms of cost effectiveness, many people, particularly those living in remote areas, could save a great deal of time and money spent on travelling and accommodation since they could access to many courses and learning materials on the Internet. Distance, as a result, is no longer a barrier to get pursue higher education. Additionally, it is worth mentioning that students from all over world have a valuable opportunity to enroll in free-online courses offered by renowned universities such as Harvard and Oxford University.

In conclusion, although the drawbacks of e-learning lie with social and health problems, I would contend that online education that many tradition universities are offering is overwhelmingly beneficial. (353 words)

- Nhỏ -